Stress and Depression Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

A new study conducted by researchers at University of Pittsburgh warns that stress and depression not only has a negative effect on the functioning of your heart, but can also lead to increased risk of heart disease.

Stress and Depression Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

The researchers measured the brain activity of 157 health volunteers after asking them to regulate their emotional reactions on seeing unpleasant images. They also analyzed their arteries for signs of atherosclerosis to assess heart disease risk and measured levels of inflammation in the bloodstream.

The researchers found that people who displayed higher brain activity when regulating their emotions had higher levels of a type of pro-inflammatory cytokines called interleukin-6 in their blood stream, which suggested increased risk of atherosclerosis. The study has been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

"We hypothesized that brain activity linked to negative emotions - specifically efforts to regulate negative emotions - would relate to physical signs of risk for heart disease. We think that the mechanistic basis for this connection may lie in the functioning of brain regions important for regulating both emotion and inflammation. These findings may have implications for brain-based prevention and intervention efforts to improve heart health and protect against heart disease", lead researcher Dr Peter Gianaros said.

Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished.Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

Disclaimer - All information and content on this site are for information and educational purposes only. The information should not be used for either diagnosis or treatment or both for any health related problem or disease. Always seek the advice of a qualified physician for medical diagnosis and treatment.Full Disclaimer